Patrick Fitzgerald – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogThu, 08 Dec 2016 18:09:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1First Utah Certified Community Wildlife Habitathttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/first-utah-certified-community-wildlife-habitat/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/first-utah-certified-community-wildlife-habitat/#respondTue, 13 Sep 2016 13:11:38 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=122546Nibley, located south of Logan in Northern Utah’s Cache County, is nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains approaching 10,000 feet. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Nibley to present their Community Wildlife Habitat certificate and celebrate with the team and the city. The celebration event was held at a local park in conjunction with the city’s annual seed, bulb and plant exchange.

Coneflowers. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald/ NWF

The effort was led by an amazing team of volunteers with the Cache Valley Wildlife Association and our Team Leader, Ron Hellstern. Ron took me on a tour of Nibley pointing out the National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat signs posted through the city. On Hollow Road, a beautiful neighborhood that runs parallel to the Blacksmith Fork River, we counted more than 20 certified homes with signs posted on mailboxes, trees and fence posts.

An example of one of Nibley’s education tables. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald/ NWF

In fact, the team in Nibley has certified 87 homes, 16 parks and businesses, and all 5 schools in the city, thus restoring and creating habitat for butterflies, song birds and other wildlife right in the area. Additionally, the team also hosted several education and outreach events (like the seed, bulb and plant exchange) over the last three years, including:

Hosting an annual Certified Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour where 6 habitats were on display for the public to visit, talk to homeowners and get ideas for their own wildlife gardens!

Establishing a new 20 acre nature park where rare fireflies have been spotted in recent years.

Hosting songbird identification and rainwater harvesting workshops.

Distributing educational materials at the weekly farmer’s market.

Nibley Mayor Shaun Dustin attended the event and commended the Cache Valley Wildlife Association and citizens that helped earn this certification for Nibley. He also acknowledged how the effort to certify Nibley and related environmental efforts were making a positive impact on public policy in the city.

The event concluded with the tagging and release of monarch butterflies facilitated by team member Becky Yeager. This citizen science effort is designed to help understand the migratory patterns of monarchs from the inter-mountain west.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/first-utah-certified-community-wildlife-habitat/feed/0Mine Proposal Threatens Monarchshttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/06/mine-proposal-threatens-monarchs/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/06/mine-proposal-threatens-monarchs/#respondMon, 13 Jun 2016 17:56:35 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=120271Today’s monarch butterflies face a multitude of challenges, and the latest challenge may be the most daunting yet. A massive mining operation is being proposed to be opened inside of their winter home in Mexico.

Monarch butterflies have lost significant habitat in the United States. Some studies suggest that an estimated 60 percent of milkweed has been eliminated from the Midwestern grassland ecosystem. The available lands and gardens that remain are using more chemicals and herbicides than ever before, making what habitat is left less healthy for monarchs and other pollinators.

Monarchs in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Photo by David Mizejewski

Monarchs also suffer from the effects of extreme weather conditions. For example, record droughts in Texas and northern Mexico in 2010-2014 negatively impacted the monarch population, and an unusual winter storm wiped out as much as half the eastern population this past March. Also, illegal logging in Angangueo, Mexico, the only winter home for eastern monarchs, persists even though progress to reduce this threat has been made in recent years.

Now another challenge is the proposal to open a massive copper sulfide mine directly underneath the overwintering grounds of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Angangueo, Mexico. If the mine opens it would spell disaster for the monarch butterfly.

Why Protect This Area?

Nearly all monarchs east of the Continental Divide running through the Rocky Mountains migrate to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico each year. This population of monarchs congregate in the oyamel fir trees for several months before returning to their spring and summer breeding grounds in northern Mexico, the central and eastern U.S., and southern Canada. Monarchs spend a lot of time at the Biosphere Reserve, typically only leaving their roosts to get a drink of water.

When considering the copper sulfide mining proposal, there are many negative implications to take into account. For instance, the mining process requires large amounts of water to process the copper and other heavy metals that are being extracted from the earth. Because of this, there is concern that the mine will dry out nearby springs which could kill the fir trees where the monarchs roost.

Overall, the mine has a large potential for contaminating the monarchs’ water sources. The operation will produce mountains of mine tailing waste containing acids, heavy metals and other pollutants, causing a significant amount of the water that is used in the mining process to become toxic, including rain runoff from the tailings waste piles. This type of water pollution has the potential to wipe out the entire migrating eastern monarch butterfly population.

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Photo by David Mizejewski

The mayor of Angangueo, Mexico is quoted in public statements as being in support of the mine. Considering the poverty and other challenges facing many of his constituents, this is an understandable position. Tourism from the Monarch Biosphere has been increasing, but it cannot compete with the jobs that this mining operation could provide. Although more does need to be done to bolster the local economy, this mine is not the answer.

The hard rock mining industry’s environmental record in the U.S. and Mexico has not been responsible. Consider these findings from a 2012 report about similar U.S. mining operations compiled by Earth Works:

All of the mines (100%) experienced pipeline spills or other accidental releases.

At 13 of the 14 mines (92%), water collection and treatment systems have failed to control contaminated mine seepage, resulting in significant water quality impacts.

Tailings spills have occurred at nine operations (75%), and a partial failure of the tailings impoundment occurred at four out of fourteen mines (28%).

In short, this globally significant and fragile area should be one of the last areas on earth to site a copper mine.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/06/mine-proposal-threatens-monarchs/feed/0Mayors’ Monarch Pledgehttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/05/this-week-in-nwf-history-mayors-monarch-pledge/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/05/this-week-in-nwf-history-mayors-monarch-pledge/#respondMon, 23 May 2016 12:00:20 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=119873Since 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has worked to conserve the nation’s wildlife and wild places. As part of our 80th anniversary celebration, we are recognizing important moments in our history that continue to make an impact today.

The launch of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge started in St. Louis with Mayor Slay. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald

Last year, the National Wildlife Federation started the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose numbers have declined precipitously in recent years. In the last eight months, more than 150 mayors have joined our first mayor, Mayor Francis Slay of St. Louis, in committing to nearly 1,000 actions to help the beleaguered monarch butterfly. These actions focus on creating monarch butterfly habitat and educating citizens about how they can do the same.

Twenty years ago, over one billion Eastern monarch butterflies migrated to Mexico. In the winter of 2014, only 60 million made the trip. The North American monarch population has declined by more than 90 percent in the past two decades. Scientists attribute this decline mostly to habitat loss and degradation. Cities, towns, and counties have a critical role to play in countering this problem. Mayors who take the pledge are committing their communities to provide monarch habitat in public parks, community gardens, and elsewhere.

North Miami’s Mayor, Smith Joseph working on the Monarch Garden. Photo by City of North Miami

One of the most recent mayors to take the pledge comes from North Miami.

North Miami, FL, a medium-sized city on the Atlantic Coast, is located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. North Miami’s Mayor, Smith Joseph, was the first mayor in Miami-Dade County to take the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.

Recently, Patrick Fitzgerald, senior director of community wildlife at the National Wildlife Federation, was on-hand to receive a proclamation from the City of North Miami and for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Mayor’s Monarch Butterfly Garden adjacent to City Hall and other municipal buildings. Local champions for this work were also in attendance, including representatives from the Miami Blue Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association and North Miami Councilwoman Carol Keys.

During his remarks, Mayor Smith Joseph commented on why monarchs, pollinators and in fact all plants and wildlife are important to the city and human kind. Watch his speech in the following video:

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/05/this-week-in-nwf-history-mayors-monarch-pledge/feed/0Fort Lauderdale, A Certified Wildlife-Friendly Cityhttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/05/fort-lauderdale-a-certified-wildlife-friendly-city/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/05/fort-lauderdale-a-certified-wildlife-friendly-city/#respondWed, 04 May 2016 14:47:34 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=119254The city of Fort Lauderdale is known for its sandy beaches, the promenade along the A1A known as “The Strip”, and its miles of boating canals which have earned the city the nickname of the “Venice of America”.

Today, the city is bolstering its credentials as the National Wildlife Federation certifies the City of Fort Lauderdale as the 86th NWF Community Wildlife Habitat in the nation.

Fort Lauderdale Team. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald

Two years ago, with the support of Mayor Jack Sieler and the City Commission, a team from the City’s Sustainability Office and Parks and Recreation Department set out to certify Fort Lauderdale. Thanks to the group’s hard work, there are now more than 400 Certified Wildlife Habitats within the city, and the team leading this project earned more “education and outreach” points than any other city of its size in the history of the program.

Some of the highlights from the city’s efforts include engaging homeowners’ associations through Fort Lauderdale’s Green Your Routine program, creating container habitats with young people in summer youth programs, certifying a habitat at City Hall, and so much more.

The city is marking this momentous occasion in an impressive fashion by hosting more than 30 simultaneous Arbor Day events across the city this weekend – cleaning up parks, removing invasive plant species that destroy habitat, and of course, planting trees.

This butterfly is one of the pollinators that benefits from the Snyder Park Butterfly Garden. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald

At one event in Snyder Park, 200 middle and high school students participating in the Firewall Serve-A-Thon weeded, mulched and added plants to the butterfly garden, which is maintained by the Kids Ecology Corps. They also removed invasive air potato vine, repotted native tree seedlings and installed two screech owl boxes. For Arbor Day, we planted a large Gumbo Limbo tree, a Florida native that has many benefits for wildlife, such as providing clusters of small red berries and green flowers for many migratory and resident birds and other pollinators.

The Snyder Park Butterfly Garden is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat and was part of the Community Foundation of Broward project to create 100 pollinator gardens in Broward County for the County’s Centennial last year. At the butterfly garden, we released lady bugs and native Florida butterflies to celebrate the fact that Fort Lauderdale is now the 86th certified Community Wildlife Habitat in the nation.

Releasing ladybugs. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald

Congratulations again to the Mayor Jack Seiler, the City Commissioners, and the citizens of Fort Lauderdale for this tremendous accomplishment.

Certify NowIf you’re interested in certifying your city, town, county or neighborhood as a National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat, visit www.nwf.org/community.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/05/fort-lauderdale-a-certified-wildlife-friendly-city/feed/0100 Mayors Take Action to Save the Monarch Butterflyhttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/03/100-mayors-take-action-to-save-the-monarch-butterfly/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/03/100-mayors-take-action-to-save-the-monarch-butterfly/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2016 12:20:48 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=118332This month, monarch butterflies are beginning their migration north from the oyamel fir forests in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Michoacán, Mexico. As they head north they will find new friends and new habitat in cities across the U.S. where 100 mayors have now taken the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.

It’s been a tumultuous year for this generation of monarchs due to the extreme weather events that they experienced during their migration. During their southbound migration from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico last fall, the monarchs faced category five Hurricane Patricia – the strongest ever recorded by the National Hurricane Center. Earlier this month, during the start of the northbound migration the monarchs were battered by an unusual and extreme winter storm that killed at least 3% of the estimated population, though more recent reports have suggested that as many as 50% perished.

As the eastern population of monarchs make their journey north from Mexico and as the western monarchs head inland from the southern coast of California, they will find new habitat planted across the United States. There has been an unprecedented effort to plant milkweed and nectar producing plants across the monarch’s range over the last year by many organizations including those represented by the Monarch Joint Venture partnership.

Among those creating new habitat are the mayors that have taken the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Mayors across the nation are taking action, from San Luis Obispo, CA to North Miami, FL to major cities up and down the Central Monarch Flyway including Austin, TX, Fayetteville, AR, Oklahoma City, OK, Kansas City, MO, Des Moines, IA, St Paul, MN and Minneapolis, MN.

NWF’s Karen Bishop at the San Antonio Monarch Festival. Photo by Grace Barnett

All told, these 100 mayors have committed to create habitat for the monarch butterfly and educate their citizens about how they can help. They have committed to more than 400 action items from a list of 25 possible actions that a mayor can take to improve habitat in cities for monarchs and other pollinators. These actions include creating a monarch-friendly demonstration garden at city hall, converting abandoned lots to monarch habitat and changing mowing schedules to allow milkweed to grow unimpeded.

11/15/15 – Mayor Lioneld Jordan of Fayetteville, AR, committed to 19 action items, created a monarch conservation network and passed the a “Save the Monarch Butterfly Day” resolution to promote the work.

San Antonio Strategy Meeting. Photo by Ruben Lizalde

12/9/15 – San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor commits to all 24 actions of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, becoming the first (and only thus far) mayor to achieve “Monarch Champion” status. The city recently held its first ever Monarch Festival led by the San Antonio Zoo.

Early 2016 – Mayor Steve Adler of Austin, TX was the second mayor to take the pledge last fall, and the city is still continuing many monarch conservation efforts. In early 2016, the city of Austin convened regional mowing directors to identify specific plots in parks across the city where they can establish wildflower habitats that can be adopted by community groups.

3/29/16 – The Twin Cities helped the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge reach a new milestone when Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, MN, and Mayor Betsy Hodges of Minneapolis, MN, took the pledge, both cities have taken significant action to help monarchs and pollinators.

A monarch caterpillar in front of St. Louis City Hall. Photo by Kathy Tenorio

About this time last year, the National Weather Service spotted a cloud stretching from the St. Louis area east into Illinois. Meteorologists watching the radar noted that its shape was irregular and it was changing shapes. Turns out, it was a 250 mile wide mass of monarch butterflies headed south for the winter!

Despite this hopeful event over St. Louis last year, monarch butterfly populations are declining. Twenty years ago more than one billion monarch butterflies made the epic, 3,000 mile voyage from America’s backyards and grasslands to their wintering grounds in Mexico. Last year, the wintering population numbered only about 56 million.

While the monarch butterfly continues to wane, the efforts of the City of St. Louis are bringing people together to raise awareness about the monarch’s decline and to create more monarch habitat in the city.

Milkweeds for Monarchs

A little over a year ago, on Earth Day 2014, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay launched Milkweeds for Monarchs: The St. Louis Butterfly Project. The initial challenge was to create 250 monarch gardens in the city to mark the 250th anniversary of the city’s founding. Mayor Slay led the effort by directing the city to plant 50 gardens, including several at fire stations, city parks and City Hall. The mayor, himself, created two monarch gardens at his personal residence, and regularly shares images of his monarch caterpillars and butterflies, as well as the other pollinators and species associated with monarch gardens.

To track the number of gardens created, the City of St. Louis devised a map and a registration system. Once a garden is registered, a small monarch icon appears on the map and the registrant is entitled to a free Milkweeds for Monarchs garden sign. All of the gardens must include both nectar sources and different types of native milkweed, the ONLY plant that female monarchs will lay eggs on, because they are the ONLY plant that monarch caterpillars eat.

Dozens of partners are working closely with the City of St. Louis, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the St. Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden. The project was covered as a best practice in the U.S. Conference of Mayors magazine and recently received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region to expand the program and evaluate the existing monarch gardens.

Neighborhood and School Monarch Gardens

In addition to new gardens at homes, the 2015 Milkweeds for Monarchs expansion has resulted in 30 monarch schoolyard gardens with associated monarch curriculum, training and support for teachers in city schools. Another aspect is to reach further into the community by working with city’s Neighborhood Improvement Specialists and community groups to create another 28 monarch gardens in each of the city wards. Because of its emphasis on fostering connections between people and urban nature, the St. Louis Milkweeds for Monarchs project will evaluate not just pollinators and vegetation, but also eco-literacy and social acceptance of monarch gardens and urban prairie patches.

Through the Mayor’s Office and the City’s Sustainability Director, Catherine Werner, St. Louis leads by example and also provides residents with critical local resources to make their monarch garden a success. Among other things, the city provides a recommended plant list, a guide on where to find the right plants and tips for caring for the plants to ensure their success.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/09/declining-monarch-butterfly-finds-hope-for-recovery-in-st-louis/feed/5Austin, Texas Creates Habitat for the Declining Monarch Butterflyhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/austin-texas-creates-habitat-for-the-declining-monarch-butterfly/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/austin-texas-creates-habitat-for-the-declining-monarch-butterfly/#commentsMon, 03 Aug 2015 13:49:22 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=108333The City of Austin, Texas sits at a critical migration point for the monarch butterfly. In the spring, Austin is one of the first places in the U.S. that the monarch stops to lay its eggs on milkweed, so the next generation can continue the journey north. During the fall migration, monarchs stop to feed on nectar plants because they need to fatten up on their way to Mexico where they will overwinter.

“The City Manager is directed to collaborate with the local offices of the National Wildlife Federation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and initiate a process for incorporating the cultivation of native milkweed where feasible into the city’s landscape portfolio at Austin City Hall, city-owned buildings and properties, as well as the city’s vast preserve lands, parks, and open spaces.” – The City of Austin

This is a big win for the monarch butterfly and all the citizens of Austin who love this iconic and declining species. Austin manages nearly 20,000 acres of land through the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and another 7,000 through the Austin Water Utility Wildlife Conservation Division. While no one would imagine that all of these lands will be managed with the monarch as its primary or only constituent, this resolution represents a significant step to plant more milkweed on city land.

NWF presents Austin Mayor Steve Adler with certificate for the most wildlife-friendly city in America. Pictured from left to right: NWF Habitat Steward Volunteers Pat and Dale Bulla, City Council Member Leslie Pool, NWF Senior Education Manager Marya Fowler, Austin Mayor Steve Adler and City of Austin Park Ranger LaJuan Tucker. Photo by NWF

The city of Austin also owns and operates 500 buildings and properties, ranging from libraries and police stations to Austin City Hall and the Austin Nature and Science Center. New demonstration gardens in prominent locations such as these could engage thousands of citizens each day and promote the planting of milkweed and pollinator friendly plants.

While this new resolution is a big boost for monarch conservation in Austin, the city has other efforts that help create habitat for the monarch, pollinators and other wildlife.

A recent study published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B by scientists from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom found that land near towns supported greater insect diversity than those in rural areas. Lead researcher Dr. Deepa Senapathi explains that species have been declining in both urban and agricultural areas for years, but species declined further in rural areas. This is in part due to the increases in large expanses of monoculture. And this dynamic rings true in the U.S. as well with nearly 50% of America’s land set aside as managed cropland, rangeland, pasture, or production forest land.

Dr. Deepa goes on to say, “While concreting over the countryside may appear to be bad news for nature, we’ve found that progressive urbanization may be much less damaging than intensive agriculture,” she said.

Consider some of these pollinator gardens in our nations urban areas:

Creating pollinator gardens in Baltimore. Photo by Carolyn Millard

Students collect herbs on PS 41′s greenroof in Manhattan. Photo by Megan Westervelt

Native prairie in Chesterfield Central Park, MO. Photo from City of Chesterfield

Cities and Communities Making a Difference

City governments are already stepping up to help pollinators, including the monarch butterfly. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has been a champion for the monarch butterfly and launched a successful and growing Milkweeds for Monarchs program. Austin Mayor Steve Adler and the Austin City Council recently passed a resolution to get more milkweed planted on city properties and launched a pollinator challenge. Alpharetta, GA, is joining the Million Pollinator Challenge as well, encouraging its residents to create habitat within the community.

Installing a garden in a Washington DC backyard. Photo by A. Frayer

Join the Movement

We need YOUR HELP to reverse the troubling decline of pollinators by creating pollinator habitat where you live, work, learn, play and/or worship. Please join the 150,000+ Americans who are part of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife movement and access resources through Facebook, our Wildlife Promise blog and our website.

To reach the scale of habitat restoration needed to turn the tide for monarchs and other pollinator species, we will need cooperation from urban, suburban, and rural landowners and land managers. We must all do our part. Combining our work in urban and suburban areas with restoration of habitat on public lands; utility, highway and railroad right of ways; hobby farms; stream buffers; edges of crop fields; rangelands; and on the 26 million acre Conservation Reserve Program; we can provide the acres of habitat needed to help insects that pollinate our food crops and those in steep decline, such as the monarch.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/bees-find-better-habitat-in-urban-jungle-than-farm-country/feed/1Monarchs Over Chesterfieldhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/09/monarchs-over-chesterfield/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/09/monarchs-over-chesterfield/#commentsThu, 25 Sep 2014 16:57:27 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=100477This morning we took a tour of the NWF Certified Community Wildlife Habitat in Chesterfield, MO – just outside of St. Louis. The city has been certified for 10 years and it showed – everywhere you looked were bees, birds, moths and butterflies.

And the Monarch Butterflies were out in full force, a good sign for a species that is facing serious challenges.

We started the tour with NWF President and CEO Collin O’Mara presenting a special conservation achievement award to Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation and NWF Chesterfield Community Wildlife Habitat Team Leader Darcy Capstick.

Award Ceremony.

After the award ceremony, we headed outside to the NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat at Chesterfield City Hall and planted four different native species of milkweed provided by the Missouri Botanical Garden, a key partner and leader of the BiodiverseCity St. Louis effort in the Metro Area.

The group standing in front of the milkweed plantings. Photo credit: City of Chesterfield

Next we went over to the beautiful Chesterfield Central Park where we visited the butterfly garden and the native prairie stream walk habitats.

Collin O’Mara and team observing the native prairie at Chesterfield Central Park.

A Monarch butterfly takes advantage of the beautiful native plants. Photo credit: City of Chesterfield

The gorgeous native plants at the Butterfly House.

I also had the opportunity to go visit a beautiful butterfly garden at Eberwein Park built and maintained for several years by the Cadette Girl Scout Troup 2534!

Girl Scout Butterfly Garden at Eberwein Park.

The tour far exceeded everyone’s expectations. It was clear to all of us that Chesterfield is making a real difference for wildlife and none of it would be possible without the hard work of so many volunteers, government employees, businesses, educators and others who step up in so many ways to make it all happen.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/09/monarchs-over-chesterfield/feed/4Threatened Gopher Tortoises Benefit from Florida Community Wildlife Habitathttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/07/threatened-gopher-tortoises-benefit-from-florida-community-wildlife-habitat/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/07/threatened-gopher-tortoises-benefit-from-florida-community-wildlife-habitat/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 16:20:32 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=98601Our amazing Garden for Wildlife volunteers in Oakland Park, FL are making a difference for the threatened gopher tortoise. The city, which is located in Broward County and is smack dab in the middle of the Miami metropolitan area, is working to become certified by National Wildlife Federation as a Community Wildlife Habitat™. So far, the core team of volunteer leaders has activated the citizens of Oakland Park to:

Create and certify more than 150 wildlife habitats and gardens at schools, homes and businesses;

Educate community members, especially children and youth, through National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats program; and

Engage in volunteer restoration projects to better understand why wildlife, nature and the environment are important for our health and well-being.

As part of this effort, something special is also happening for tortoises.

Oakland Park Making Room for Gopher Tortoises

Charlie Livio, the NWF Community Wildlife Habitat Team Leader for the city, pitched an idea to the City Council that Oakland Park should become the first site to participate in Florida’s Waif Tortoise Adoption Program. (A “waif” gopher tortoise is one that has been removed from the wild.)

The City Council approved of the idea, and in 2011, they adopted four gopher tortoises located at the Lakeside Sand Pine Preserve (including this one, pictured here snacking on fruits and veggies):

Gopher tortoises are a keystone species that have roamed planet Earth for somewhere between 500,000 and 2 million years. However, due to habitat loss and other threats, they are listed as a federally threatened species in Louisiana, Mississippi and part of Alabama. The State of Florida considers them threatened as well.

Creating Habitat at Lakeside Sand Pine Preserve

Charlie (who also happens to be the city horticulturist and vice president of the city’s Garden Club) knew the Lakeside Sand Pine Preserve was great potential habitat for gopher tortoises. The 5.6-acre remnant sand pine scrub has high, rapidly draining and acidic sands, and is home to more than 75 plant species, including the American Beautyberry, pictured here:

However, due to a lack of natural wildfires and other processes, the preserve is at risk of going through “succession” and becoming a scrub oak hammock. To keep the sand pine scrub in a healthy state for its unique flora and fauna, staff at the preserve organize an annual volunteer habitat restoration and cleanup.

Adding to the Family

After their work improving the habitat in the preserve, the city was approved to adopt two male gopher tortoises in September of 2013. Just a few months later in December, a hatching was reported and seen at the preserve.

Last week, Charlie let us know that he saw a potential new juvenile gopher tortoise burrow (pictured below) on the Lakeside Sand Pine Preserve property—evidence that the tortoises are successfully breeding at the site!

We’re very excited to hear further updates from Charlie and the City of Oakland Park’s Community Wildlife Habitat team. Their work in the Lakeside Sand Pine Preserve and throughout the city has them well on their way to achieving certified Community Wildlife Habitat status.